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Sea Otter

Enhydra lutris

Photo by BillCarpenter
Published on Project Noah
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60.1042, -149.442

Field Notes

Description:

Sea Otter found an octopus killed it and ate it.

Habitat:

North Pacific

Species ID Suggestions

octopus

cephalopod mollusc of the order Octopoda

Reference Link
galewhale..Gale
2

Comments (15)
Morgan G
Wow! What a great catch -- for you and the otter both!
Mark Ridgway
That is a truly excellent spot ! Would love to have seen the action.
BillCarpenter
We were on a ship tour in the Kenai Fjords National Park outside of Seward, Alaska. Pretty much certain to see Otters anytime of the year. Have never seen an Otter with an Octopus.
KarenL
Amazing shot - especially when you consider an octopus can kill a shark! http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/animals/invertebrates-animals/octopus-and-squid/octopus_giant_kills_shark.html
alicelongmartin
Where were you when you took the picture? Fantastic picture!
HeatherMiller
Good grief! 15 minutes in sea otter time is forever to worry a young pup. But, maybe the young one learned some tricks from an obviously smart mom.
galewhale..Gale
Would you like to add this to the Marine mammal Mission? http://www.projectnoah.org/missions/6544167
galewhale..Gale
Very special observation! I would never imagine an otter taking on an octopus (or was it a squid?). I'd be one worried pup too watching a battle like this one.. 15 minutes!!
Thurd13
Wow! amazing spotting...!
BillCarpenter
We have others but not as clear. It was a large octopus, the otter is a mature female probably about 45lbs. She had a pup close by that appeared to be pretty worried about the encounter. The fight last probably 15 minutes.
HeatherMiller
That is an awesome shot! That octopus is huge compared to the sea otter and still appears to have lost the battle. I wish you had more shots, but this one is fantastic!

Spotted for Missions

Mission
2011 Best Wildlife Photo
Mission
Marine Mammals of the World
Photographed
PublishedSeptember 5, 2011

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